Population
Federal Way
99,232
Des Moines
32,545
Median Income
Federal Way
$82,144
Des Moines
$89,787
Home Value
Federal Way
$499,600
Des Moines
$539,800
Rent
Federal Way
$1,738
Des Moines
$1,727
Crime Rate
Federal Way
5.45
Des Moines
2.97
Cost of Living
Federal Way
154.3
Des Moines
163.6
Avg Temp
Federal Way
N/A
Des Moines
N/A
Unemployment
Federal Way
5.9%
Des Moines
7.2%
How Similar Are Federal Way & Des Moines?
Des Moines is Federal Way's #17 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Federal Way
99,232
Des Moines
32,545
Federal Way (99,232) is about 3.0x larger than Des Moines (32,545).
Violent Crime
Federal Way
5.45
Des Moines
2.97
Federal Way has a 46% higher violent crime than Des Moines.
Property Crime
Federal Way
43.72
Des Moines
28.49
Federal Way has a 35% higher property crime than Des Moines.
Political Leaning
Federal Way
22.5%
Des Moines
22.5%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Federal Way
5.9%
Des Moines
7.2%
Des Moines has a 19% higher unemployment than Federal Way.
Median Income
Federal Way
$82,144
Des Moines
$89,787
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Federal Way
$499,600
Des Moines
$539,800
Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.
Education
Federal Way
21.3%
Des Moines
23.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Federal Way
38.8%
Des Moines
49.1%
Des Moines has a 21% higher demographics than Federal Way.
Cost of Living
Federal Way
154.3
Des Moines
163.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Federal Way and Des Moines share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Federal Way
0
Des Moines
Des Moines leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Federal Way leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFederal Way scores 127.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 137.3 in Des Moines. Federal Way scores 154.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 163.6 in Des Moines. Federal Way has a living wage (1 adult) of $67,891 vs $71,982 in Des Moines (6% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFederal Way has a median property tax of $4,408 vs $5,467 in Des Moines (19% lower). Des Moines has a single-family homes of 59.6% compared to 52.1% in Federal Way. Des Moines has a owner-occupied of 60.8% compared to 55.7% in Federal Way.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFederal Way: 51,743 vs Des Moines: 16,901 for labor force. Federal Way has a unemployment rate of 5.9% compared to 7.2% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a poverty rate of 10.7% compared to 12.7% in Federal Way.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Des Moines leads
Source: FBI UCRDes Moines has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.15 compared to 5.73 in Federal Way. Des Moines has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.61 compared to 3.38 in Federal Way. Des Moines has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.97 compared to 5.45 in Federal Way.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Des Moines leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDes Moines has a bachelor's degree or higher of 23.3% compared to 21.3% in Federal Way. Des Moines has a high school diploma or higher of 40.9% compared to 39.6% in Federal Way.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFederal Way has a population of 99,232, about 3x the size of Des Moines (32,545).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Federal Way
Des Moines
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDes Moines: 5 vs Federal Way: 4 for with emergency services. Federal Way: 2.8 vs Des Moines: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Federal Way. Des Moines has a public transit of 6.1% compared to 5.2% in Federal Way. Des Moines has a drive alone of 70.1% compared to 68.0% in Federal Way.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Federal Way, WA
Compare Federal Way against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.